Cavalier India Defence Training Academy

Tour comes amid Rafale revelations The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian, will visit India during April 13 to 15, the Embassy of France announced on Monday. Mr. Le Drian will hold talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar and participate in the Raisina Dialogue.  The ministerial talks are expected to focus on “all aspects of the bilateral strategic partnership” covering joint ventures in the Indo-Pacific and cooperation at the UN Security Council where India has completed the first three months of its stint as a non-permanent member. Cautious approach Despite close strategic partnership between the two sides, India in recent weeks has adopted a cautious approach at the UNSC. India has participated in the “Arria-formula” meetings, the consultation among the 15 members of the UNSC over conflict zones and other contentious issues, while expressing reservations about the format of the meeting. On March 8, India, along with Russia and China, were t...

  For the first time since 2012, India and China on Tuesday held consultations on UN Security Council (UNSC) agenda, with New Delhi seeking to build consensus on its UNSC priorities as well as on designating terrorists by the powerful body of the UN. In the first bilateral meet which did not focus on LAC stand-off since last April. Both sides discussed a wide-range of issues on the UNSC agenda. The Indian delegation briefed the Chinese side on India’s priorities during its UNSC tenure. India, which began its two-year term as a non-permanent member of UNSC on January 1, will have counter-terrorism and maritime security among its key priorities to achieve peace and stability in the international arena. The Indian delegation sought constructive support from China on its priorities, ET has learnt. India will hold the presidency of the UNSC in August 2021. During its presidency, India will focus on initiatives around Counter-terrorism, maritime Security and ICT for peacekeeping. China’s...

Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc. CONTEXT As per latest findings, nearly six out of 10 droughts , in non-El Nino years , that occurred during the Indian summer-monsoon season in the past century may have been driven by atmospheric disturbances from the North Atlantic region. In 2014, India saw a 14% rainfall deficit — or a drought — that wasn’t linked to El Nino and before that in 1986 and 1985. Factors that influence these droughts These droughts are a consequence of a sudden and steep drop in rainfall in late August. Winds in the upper atmosphere are interacting with a deep cyclonic circulation above the abnormally cold North Atlantic waters. The resulting wave of air currents, called a Rossby wave, curved down from the North Atlantic squeezed in by the Tibetan plateau and hit the subcontinent around mid-August, suppressing rainfall and throwing off the monsoon that was trying to recover from the June slump. What is El Nino?...

Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests. CONTEXT Russia has called the four-nation quadrilateral strategic dialogue or Quad as a “devious policy” by western powers to engage India in “anti-China games” . What’s the issue? It expressed concerns about the U.S. Indo-Pacific policy and criticised the Quad. Also, for the first time it has suggested that India-Russia ties could be affected by it. What are Russia’s concerns? India has become an object of the western countries’ persistent, aggressive and devious policy as they are trying to engage it in anti-China games by promoting Indo-Pacific strategies, the so-called “Quad”. At the same time the West is attempting to undermine Russia’s close partnership and privileged relations with India. This is the goal of the U.S.’s very tough pressure on New Delhi in the MTC (Military and Technical Co-operation) area. The incoming Biden administration is also expected to press hard...

Right to reject and elect new candidate will give power to the people to express their discontent. Election Commission of India CONTEXT An advocate has moved the Supreme Court for a direction that fresh elections should be held in a constituency where NOTA (‘None of the above’ option) garnered the maximum number of votes. Besides, none of the candidates who lost to NOTA should be allowed to contest the fresh polls. Views of the Advocate  If the electorate has rejected the candidates by voting for NOTA, the parties should be barred from fielding them again in the fresh polls. The parties should accept that the voters have already made their discontent loud and clear. Right to reject and elect new candidate will give power to the people to express their discontent. Right to reject will check corruption, criminalisation, casteism, communalism. Parties would be forced to give tickets to honest and patriotic candidates. Right to Reject The ‘right to reject’ was first proposed by the La...

China’s upstream activities along the Brahmaputra River have impacts on countries downstream and the ecology surrounding. CONTEXT Amid simmering border tension with India along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, China is planning to build a major hydro-power project on Brahmaputra River in Tibet and a proposal for this has been clearly put forward in the 14th Five-Year Plan to be implemented from next year. Response from India and Bangladesh Proposals for dams on the Brahmaputra have evoked concerns in India and Bangladesh, the riparian states, and China has downplayed such anxieties saying it would keep their interests in mind. What are India’s concerns? China’s dam building overdrive is a concern because there are no bilateral or multilateral treaties on the water. China believes dam building on the Brahmaputra helps it assert claim over Arunachal Pradesh. India believes China’s projects in the Tibetan plateau t hreaten to reduce river flows into India. Dams, canals...

CONTEXT Vietnam has invited India for ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting-Plus (ADMM Plus) being hosted by Vietnam in December 2020. About ADMM- Plus Consistent with the ADMM guiding principles of open and outward looking, the 2nd ADMM in Singapore in 2007 adopted the Concept Paper to establish the ADMM-Plus. The ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN and its eight Dialogue Partners to strengthen security and defence cooperation for peace, stability, and development in the region. Eight Dialogue Partners are Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia and the USA (collectively referred to as the “Plus Countries” ). Agreed five areas of practical cooperation under this mechanism are: Maritime security, counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping operations and military medicine. In 2013, a new priority area of humanitarian mine action was agreed.

 The Quad is an informal grouping of likeminded partners formed to deepen cooperation on sub-regional issues and shape a more closely-aligned Indo-Pacific region, Stilwell said.         "Quad membership is driven by shared interests, not binding obligations," he said. Ahead of the second ministerial meeting of the four countries under the Quad — India, Japan, Australia and US — in Tokyo next week, the Trump administration has said the purpose of the group is to establish, promote and secure Indo-Pacific region, especially at a time of increased Chinese “aggression and coercion” in the region. “The Quad seeks to establish, promote, and secure Indo-Pacific principles, especially as PRC tactics, aggression, and coercion increase in the region,” Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David R. Stilwell told reporters during a conference call on Friday. US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is travelling to Tokyo next week to participate in the second Qu...

Representative Image   Saluting the brave Galwan valley martyrs, Times Network , India's premium broadcast network, releases a special documentary, 'Gallantry at Galwan — A Tale Of Valour' this Independence Day. Marking two months to the deadly Galwan clash which witnessed the heroic sacrifice of 20 brave soldiers, who valiantly fought the Chinese transgression into the Indian territory, the special documentary scheduled for telecast on August 15, at 1:00 pm on TIMES NOW, TIMES NOW WORLD and Mirror NOW brings forth the story of grit and raw courage of these soldiers. The 45-minute-long succinct account of factual events that took place in the intervening night of June 15-16 in the Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh, the documentary analyses the bloodiest engagement between Indian and Chinese troops in 45 years and aims to inform the viewers about the history of ongoing border dispute between the countries and reflects on how tensions unfolded over the years. Acc...

The demand comes a day after the Army Chief went on a two-day visit to Arunachal Pradesh to review preparedness at forward points along the Line of Actual Control.   Indian Army Chief General MM Naravane Indian Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane on Friday asked his field commanders to be prepared for any eventuality and maintain the highest operational preparedness. His demand comes a day after the Army Chief went to Arunachal Pradesh on a two-day visit to the forward points along the Line of Actual Control in the north-eastern state amid expansionist misadventures by China into Indian territory. The Army General’s visit at a time China has moved its troops into Indian land and has refused to disengage the troop build-up, artillery and armour in western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand and Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim and Arunachal) areas of the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army also has soldiers near Uttarakhand’s Lipulekh Pass, a tri-j...

India is all set to take delivery of the two VIP Boeing 777 aircraft. Dubbed India’s “Air Force One”, the new plane will fly the country’s top leadership on important foreign missions. The new 777s will replace the fleet of aging Air India 747s, as the government looks to operate its own fleet of aircraft, separate from the soon-to-be-privatized Air India. The new 777s will take over from Air India’s 747 fleet, which is currently used for VIP transport. Photo: Getty Images Brand new livery One of the most exciting aspects of the new aircraft is the new livery it will feature. Previously, the Prime Minister’s plane simply used an Air India livery, since it was a commercial plane on special operations. However, now with a redesigned 777, the government has gone with a newer, sleek appearance. The plane features India written in both English and Hindi along the side, along with the national emblem in the center. On the tail, we see the Indian flag, reminiscent of the US flag on Air Force ...

The PLA Navy may need such bases in large numbers to minimise the geographical distance from China, he said while speaking at a webinar organised by Tillotama Foundation Indian naval ship conducts a Passage Exercise PASSEX with the United States Navy's USS Nimitz carrier strike group as it transits the Indian Ocean. (Photo | Twitter) Defence and strategic experts on Monday said that China's posturing in the Indian Ocean will disturb stability and peace in the region. Commandant of National Defence College, Vice-Admiral Pradeep Kaushiva, said that the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China has been establishing naval bases in the Indian Ocean for a long time. The PLA Navy may need such bases in large numbers to minimise the geographical distance from China, he said while speaking at a webinar organised by Tillotama Foundation. "In such a scenario, the Indian Ocean is poised for turbulence and I believe it is in the offing," Vice-Admiral Kaushiva said. He said, ...

The man in Indian Air Force uniform is Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather, with India's Ambassador to France jawed Ashraf, and Chairman of Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier The first batch of the much-awaited five Rafale fighter jets that took off from France on July 27, 2020. In the moment of euphoria over the arrival of one of world's best fighter jets, Indian social media users were quick to point out the important role played by Hilal Ahmad Rather in the quick delivery of Rafale. Air Commodore Hilal Ahmad Rather is presently India’s Air Attaché to France. Hilal hails from South Kashmir's Anantnag district. He became India's first pilot to see off the batch of Rafale jets from France to India on July 27. Reports suggest that he played a crucial part in early delivery of the Rafales, and was previously associated with the weaponisation of the Rafale jets according to the Indian requirements. Hilal was commissioned in Indian Air Force as a fighter pilot on December 17, 19...

The number of installations of Zili app surged nearly threefold in the three weeks following the June-end ban on TikTok, rising to 8 million installs from about 3 million in the prior period. The trend is in line with what experts had predicted after the 29 June ban on 59 apps by the Indian government including TikTok and zzz. (HT) Growing anti-China sentiments in India and the government ban on Chinese apps seems to have helped global companies more than those from India. According to app analytics firm Sensor Tower, only one of the top three apps that gained from the ban on TikTok was Indian--Roposo. The other two were New York-based Dubsmash and short-video app Zili, which is owned by Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi. The number of installations of Zili app surged nearly threefold in the three weeks following the June-end ban on TikTok, rising to 8 million installs from about 3 million in the prior period. Installations of Chinese Snack Video rose to a lifetime high of 23.5 mill...

Representative Image The Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) is going ahead with Turkish shipyard partner M/S Anadolu shipyard after signing a contract with them for technical collaboration for enabling the shipyard to build five fleet support ships. Confirming this, a senior official said that “The total initial estimated project cost is about Rs 10,000 crore for the 45,000-ton fleet support ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy. The contract with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is expected to be inked within the next 6-8 months.” “Though the contract is between the two shipyards, it is a good sign that the Defence ministries of both countries are onboard for this `Make in India’ project.” As was first reported by Financial Express Online in 2019, the Turkish Shipyard was L1 and had technically qualified for the FSS project for the Indian Navy. In fact, it was down-selected from among three companies who had made the cut earlier. #MakeInIndia : Indian and Turkish shipyards close contract for bu...

The Indian Navy deployed a range of its frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region(IOR) to send a clear message to China when the border tension escalated manifold in the wake of the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15. INS Jalashwa, deployed by the Indian Navy for Operation Samudra Setu, entered Tuticorin harbour early morning.(PTI) The Indian Navy’s clear message to Beijing through its aggressive deployment of almost all frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region following escalation in the border row in eastern Ladakh has been “registered” by China, top defence sources said on Tuesday. The Indian Navy deployed a range of its frontline warships and submarines in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) to send a clear message to China when the border tension escalated manifold in the wake of the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15. The sources told PTI that the government adopted a multi-pronged approach involving the Army, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Navy a...

As part of a broader offensive against India and Western rivals, Pakistan and China have entered a secret three-year agreement to expand potential bio-warfare capabilities, including several research projects related to the deadly agent anthrax, the Klaxon reported citing multiple intelligence sources. China has been criticised for handling of coronavirus pandemic with speculations that disease could have emerged from Wuhan Institute of Virology, though most experts have discounted the theory. According to the report authored by Anthony Klan, the same lab has signed the covert deal with Pakistan military's Defense Science and Technology Organization (DESTO), to collaborate research in "emerging infectious diseases" and advance studies on the biological control of transmitted diseases.  Representative Image As per the intelligence sources cited by The Klaxon, they have serious concerns about the covert project which involves China testing biological agents outside its bord...

Representative Image Amid the ongoing border dispute between India and China, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has provided its indigenously-developed drone - Bharat - to the Indian Army to conduct accurate surveillance in high altitude areas and mountainous terrain along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh. "The Indian Army requires drones for accurate surveillance in the ongoing dispute in the Eastern Ladakh area. For this, the DRDO has provided them with the Bharat drones," defence sources told ANI. The Bharat series of drones, developed by a Chandigarh-based laboratory of the DRDO, can be listed among "world's most agile and lightest surveillance drone indigenously developed by the DRDO". DRDO sources said, "The small yet powerful drone works autonomously at any location with great accuracy. The unibody biomimetic design with advance release technology is a lethal combination for surveillance missions". The dr...

As India rises in the world order, it should not only visualise its interests with great clarity but also communicate them effectively, says external affairs minister S Jaishankar in his new book.  External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar India has had to struggle mightily to gain influence in a domain that could have come more easily earlier as its foreign policy carries “three major burdens” from its past -- Partition, delayed economic reforms and prolonged exercise of the nuclear option, says External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. The former diplomat makes these remarks in his new book “The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World”, which is scheduled for release on September 7. With the period from the 2008 global financial crisis to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic seeing a real transformation of the world order, Jaishankar analyses the challenges India faces and spells out possible policy responses. As India rises in the world order, it should not only visualise its interest...

At least five out of the first batch of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft are likely to join the Indian Air Force (IAF) by July end, providing it much-needed muscle amid a depleting fighter strength. The Indian Army is stretched between its northern borders with China where it is locked in multiple standoffs with the Chinese People's Liberation Army, while in the western borders it is busy tackling the increasing cross-border firing and infiltration bids by Pakistan-based terror groups. Rafale Fighter Jet (Dassault Aviation) In either case, it is air power that could tip the balance. The first batch of five Rafale will be inducted at the Air Force Station in Ambala on 29 July subject to weather. The final induction ceremony will take place in the second half of August 20. "IAF aircrew and ground crew have undergone comprehensive training on the aircraft, including its highly advanced weapons systems and are fully operational now," IAF said. Post arrival, efforts will focus on op...